In just over a year, more than ten thousand fines have been issued in the Nieuwlandstraat in Tilburg because of a driving ban. The traffic camera that hangs just beyond the side street with Korte Tuinstraat has already raised more than 1.6 million euros for the state treasury.
In order to make the Dwaalgebied in the center of Tilburg car-free, the municipality imposed a driving ban last June. The last part of the Nieuwlandstraat, also known as the Radiopleintje, is only accessible between six o’clock and eleven o’clock in the morning or with an exemption.
In the first month, motorists were able to get used to the driving ban, but fines were handed out from July. Many motorists found the entry ban unclearly indicated. About 4,000 fines were issued in two months. The municipality decided to adjust the traffic situation. The pavement was changed and so were the road signs.
Decrease
There was indeed a sharp decrease in the number of fines issued for motorists who ignored the driving ban. But now, more than a year later, hundreds of drivers still receive a voucher of 159 euros every month.
A few months have striking figures, but according to the municipality of Tilburg, these are easy to explain. For example, in January and February there was a technical malfunction of the camera that scans the license plates. As a result, no fines have been issued for the time being. Also in July this year considerably fewer fines were written. The municipality then turned off the camera because of the Tilburg Fair.
One and a half million
The camera at the Radiopleintje turned out to be a gold mine last year. Since the introduction of the entry ban, more than 1.6 million euros have been photographed together. The first months that the camera was on, tons of fines were issued.
In August 2021, almost 3.5 tons were collected via the camera and even in July this year, when the camera was turned off for days because of the Tilburg Fair, 40,000 euros were still photographed together. Incidentally, the money goes to the state treasury, not to the municipality of Tilburg.
Lawsuit
Many fined motorists do not agree with their ticket. 337 of them lodged an appeal with the Public Prosecution Service, because they find the traffic situation too unclear. The fact that the municipality of Tilburg changed the traffic signs and pavement in the interim made their objection stronger, says Jeroen Jaspers of the Rechtswinkel in Tilburg.
Still, except for eight objections, everything was rejected by the judiciary. The objections are now submitted to the subdistrict court. “I hope that all objections will be dealt with at once and not separately as with the Public Prosecution Service. That saves the subdistrict court and us a lot of time,” Jaspers explains. He expects the case to go to court before November. “But it could just take until April or May next year.”
Wrong sign
Although the municipality of Tilburg has made adjustments, Jaspers believes that motorists driving from Korte Tuinstraat towards Nieuwlandstraat are still ‘trapped’. “You still see a one-way traffic sign, which directs you towards the Radiopleintje and therefore a possible fine.”
It particularly bothers Jaspers that motorists are not warned earlier or that there is an exception rule under that one-way traffic sign. “I am very curious how many fines will be issued in September. I was sitting there on the terrace recently and many Belgian motorists were fooled.”
Watch the traffic situation in the video below: